Is standard broadband (FTTC/ADSL?) unavailable in some areas?

[sennoritarita]

I live in a rented house and I'm trying to understand if I can get standard broadband, there's an Openreach Master socket MK4 and I was hoping it could be used to get standard broadband (ADLS? FTTC? whichever can be installed using that socket). However, when I introduce my postcode the only offers I get from BT and other providers is full fibre, which, as far as I understand, require drilling holes in the house (or am I mistaken?), and I'm trying to avoid that. Does this mean that standard broadband is unavailable in some areas? So the only option is to get permission from the landlord to install full fibre? Or am I missing something?

[iniltous]

You are probably not missing anything, if OR go to the expense etc. of providing FTTP in areas that once were ‘copper’ , then although they don’t ‘force’ existing lines , via the ISP , to use this new FTTP infrastructure ( not yet anyway ) for new ‘orders’ they can in effect require the ISP to order whatever ‘speed’ the end user wants but it has to be delivered by the new FTTP network, after all the ultimate goal is to retire the copper network completely.

This may cause some problems with tenants ( renters ) that have unreasonable landlords that won’t allow a extremely small alteration to be made to the building , a small CSP  all box on the wall , a hole made to get a cable inside the property, or whatever, but if the landlord insists that nothing can be done to the fabric of the building, for your benefit then there is nothing really Openreach or BT can do about that.

It probably should occur to the landlord that having FTTP makes the property more desirable and easier to rent .

[Crimliar]

It's being phased put step by step.  So if I'd stayed with my previous broadband supplier, by the end of the year we'd have needed to switch to a VOIP/digital-voice solution, but that would have been over VDSL2.  As soon as you try to switch suppliers though, then you are only offered FTTP.  In-laws less than a mile away have only ever been able to get ADSL, but they are being "quietly" upgraded to VDSL2 with digital-voice.

[SherlockPhones]

How are they being "quietly upgraded to VDSL"?

[jac_95]

@SherlockPhones 

I'm assuming @Crimliar is referring to their provider upgrading them to VDSLx from ADSLx which happens when VDSL is available for a period of time but the customer hasn't moved to it and the provider is starting to withdraw older broadband services and products such as ADSLx where a VDSL or full fibre is available to the customer.

When newer fibre based technologies and services become available then after a period of time the older services will start to be put into a stop sell and then withdrawn.

[Crimliar]

The info supplied to the in-laws is very minimal, just stating that they will be upgraded to VDSL at some point, they will initially need to do nothing, but will later receive a new hub and phone.  That's pretty much all they've been told!  They live just off a major A road, and their only previous options have been Virgin or ADSL!  Last time I looked on the checker site OR still only listed ADSL!

*Frankly it's a little shocking!

[SherlockPhones]

Well at least they have a choice. Here, the choices are: ADSL @3mb or 3G WiFi.

[SherlockPhones]

Buck Rogers wouldn't want to be in this 21st century.

[36ULW]

If your Exchange is a Stop Sell or whatever they call it then they’ll only sell you FTTP if it’s available.

Just how big do you think these Holes are?

I can tell you, the two for the CSP are 6mm, the two for the ONT are 5mm and the one going through the wall to get the cable in from the outside is either 8mm or 10mm, depending on which the Engineer prefers.

I always used the 10mm and widened the hole on the inside to 12mm as the small round cover for the tube fits perfectly into that size hole.

[Crimliar]

The Openreach engineer who fitted our ONT did the neatest job I've ever seen any tradesman do.  It was quick, clean efficient, neat and VERY tidy!

This is a bit of an old story now though.  Fibre has been laid by both OpenReach and CItyFibre who actually worked alongside each other so there was only one disruption.  So the inlaws now have cabinets (next to each other) just outside their property, and it's just a case of waiting for things to go live so they can upgrade from their 4-5Mbps ADSL.

At the time we received our letter (summer/autumn 2022), our ISP was Vodafone, and the "to the occupier" letter came from OpenReach.  The letter the inlaws received came from their ISP - BT.  We've friends nearby who are on VDSL who've had no communication from anyone on the subject.